Dear MBL Accepted Trainees,
Congratulations on being invited to attend an Advanced Research Training course this summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory. I am writing to inform you that, as of now, all courses are planned to proceed as scheduled. However, given the fluidity of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, I want to alert you to the measures the MBL is taking to address this global health emergency.
Our authoritative sources of information are the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts State Department of Public Health (MA DPH). While we expect travel cancellations of individuals coming from severely affected overseas locations, there are no travel restrictions within the US at this time, and no broad US-wide directives or guidance regarding cancelling gatherings (i.e. in schools, conferences, athletic events etc.) or recommendations regarding social distancing. The MA DPH assesses that the risk to the public from COVID-19 remains low in the state. We require that all visitors to the campus respect the 14-day self-isolation period following travel from a country with a CDC Level 3 travel health notice.
We have established a website https://goforward.mbl.edu/ that provides additional information and resources. I encourage you to visit this page for updates. We will notify you if any significant changes impact your course. Should your situation changes or you have any additional questions please let us know.
Thank you in advance,
Linda E. Hyman, Ph.D.
Burroughs Wellcome Director of Education